Silo-roof.



C. J. PERKINS.

SILO ROOF.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. H. 1915.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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C. J. PERKlNS.

SJLO ROOF. APPLICATION FILED MAR-11,1915- 1 ,2 1,3?3 Patented Apr. 3,1917.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET 2. Fig.5.

CHARLES J'. PERKINS, OF MANITOU, COLORADO.

srno-noor.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed March 11, 1915. Serial No. 13,742.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Manitou, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado,have invented a certain new and useful Silo-Roof, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a silo roof of simple, durableand inexpensive construction.

A further object is to provide a silo roof preferably made in metalsections, so constructed and arranged as to be readily connectedtogether to form a continuous circular roof.

Still a further object is to provide simple and durable means forproperly supporting the sections of the roof on the upper end of acircular silo.

Still a further object is to provide such means so constructed andarranged as to permit the proper raising and removal of the roofsections.

Still a further object is toprovide such a means so constructed as topermit the roof sections to be tilted upwardly to vertical position forfilling the silo to the top.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of the upper end ofthe silo and a partially completed roof.

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of theroof.

Fig. 3 shows a top or plan View of two sections of the roof, one sectionbeing provided with a door opening.

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows a top or plan view of the annular plate, and

Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of one of the brackets adapted for use ona wood silo.

In the exemplification of my invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the top of acircular silo, which may be made of any suitable material.

For supporting the parts of my roof in position, I provide a pluralityof brackets.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the brackets of a form adapted to be used with acement or masonry silo, while in Fig. 6 I have shown alform of thebrackets for use with a wood s1 0.

The form of the bracket shown in Fig. 1 comprises an upright member 11adapted to be at the top of the silo against the outside thereof, toextend to a position above the upper end of the silo. The lower end ofthe member 11 is bent slightly outwardly at 12. Formed on the upper endof the member 11 is a downwardly bent portion 13, on the lower end ofwhich is a portion bent substantially in the form of a cylinder. Abovethe cylindrical portion 1 1, and extending upwardly therefrom, is aportion 15, which at its lower end is bent over and downwardly at 16.The portion 16 is provided at its lower end with a horizontal flange 17adapted to rest on the silo wall.

Hoops 1S engage the members 11 and hold the brackets in place on amasonry wall.

Where the bracket is formed to be used on a wood silo, the bracket ismade with the portion 11, at the upper end of which is a portion 11adapted to rest on the top of the silo. At the inner end of the member11 is an upwardly extending portion 11 formed on the upper end of whichis a portion 13 similar to that already described. The form of thebracket used with a wood silo has the portions 15 similar to those ofthe bracket used for a masonry silo. On the upper end of the portion 15is a downwardly extending portion 19, adapted to engage the inside ofthe silo wall. The portions 11 and 19 of the form of bracket used on awood silo are connected together by a bolt 20 extending through saidportions and silo, as shown in Fig. 6. On the inner end of the bolt 20is a nut 21.

Every other bracket is so made that the portions 13 and 15 rest adjacentto each other. The alternate brackets are so made that the portions 14and 15 are spaced from each other, for a purpose which will be hereinexplained.

Where the form of brackets shown in Fig. 1 is used, four of the bracketsare provided with portions 22 extending downwardly from the portions 17and with horizontal portions 23.

At the lower ends of the portions 22 where the form of bracket shown inFig. 6 is used,

a number of said brackets, preferably four, are provided at the lowerend of the member 19, with a horizontal member 23.

Above the central portion of the silo there is provided an annular plate24, having near its periphery a plurality of holes 25, the purpose ofwhich will be hereinafter explained, and having a central opening 26.

On the lower part of the annular plate 24 is a solid cylinder 27 ofsmaller diameter than the plate 24.

The rafters of my silo roof are indicated by the reference numeral 28,and are preferably four in number. Their lower ends are suitably beveledat 29 and to rest against the portions 22 and 23 or 19 and 23,

. as the case may be. Their upper ends are similarly beveled to restagainst the under surface of theplate 24 and the periphery of thecylinder 27.

It will be understood that the plate 24 and cylinder 27 may be held inposition during the assembling of the roof, by means of a seafiold orany suitable support. The

V rafters may be secured at their lower ends by bolts or otherwise, ifdesired, to the members 23.

The sections of my improved silo roof are composed of metal, and aretapered toward their upper or inner ends as illustrated in Fi g. 3. Theyare curved at their lower ends to conform to the general outline of theround silo, as shown in sald figure.

' central, longitudinal, upwardly extending rib or bead 34. One of themembers A is provided with a door opening 35. All of the members A butone are made as above described. One of the membersA is provided at eachside edge with a downwardly extending flange 36, as shown in Fig. 2. Thereason for making the one section of special form will be hereinafterreferred to.

The members A are provided on their lower surfaces near their lower endswith transverse blocks 37 having transverse openings in them. At thelower ends of the members A are portions 38 designed to form eaves.

Rotatably mounted in each block or member 37, is a shaft 39 having oneach end a crank 40. The ends of the cranks 40 are rotatably mounted inthe portions 14 of the brackets.

In assembling the parts one crank 40 is inserted into the opening 14 ofthe bracket which has the members 13 and 15 close together, and theother crank 40 is then slipped down between the members 13 and 15 in theportion 14 of the bracket which has the members 13 and 15 spaced fromeach other. It will be seen that by making the alternate brackets withthe members 13 and 15 spaced, the cranks may be readily and easilyassembled or removed from the brackets.

In assembling the roof after the brackets are installed and the plate 24is located in position and the rafters 28 are installed, the sections Aare properly mounted on the upper end of the silo wall by mounting thecranks 40 in the brackets. One section is then swung downwardly andinwardly until it rests above the edge of the annular plate 24. The nextadjacent section isthen swung downwardly and inwardly from the positionshown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 to position with its upper edgeresting on the plate 24, and with the member 31 of one section receivedbetween the members 32 and 33 of the next adjacent section. The reasonfor mounting the sections on cranks will now be apparent. If thesections were simply hinged to the upper end of the silo and swungdownwardly and inwardly, the members 31 Would not properly enter thechannels formed between the members 32 and 33. It is necessary to firstraise the section above the next adjacent section and then lower itdirectly downwardly upon the section al ready installed to cause themember 32 to properly enter into the channel referred to. 1:

The specially formed section shown at the center of Fig. 2 may be thefirst one installed. The other sections are then installed in sectionaround the silo. The specially formed section is necessary in order toadapt the roof to the irregularities in the shape of the silo.

It is common knowledge that so-called round silos are rarely, if ever,perfectly round at the upper end, and it is desired to have somepossibility of adjustment in the sectional roof in order to take intoaccount inevitable irregularities or variations from a true circle. Bythe use of the specially formed roof section, the other sections may beassembled around the roof and the roof properly completed in spite ofvariations in the form of the upper end of the silo, on account of thefact that the two sections adjacent to the specially formed section mayslide thereon and overlap the specially formed section so far as it maybe necessary to accomplish a proper assembling.

Mounted on the upper central portion of the silo roof is a capcomprising a hollow conical member 41, having the central downwardlyextending member 42, which is designed to be received in the opening 26and extends downwardly through the plate 24 and the cylindrical member27. The memher 42 is provided with openings 43 to receive a bolt or pinfor locking the cap 41 in position on the roof.

In thepractical use of my improved silo roof, the parts are assembled inthe manner hereinbefore described and the roof completed. When it isdesired to fill the silo, one of the sections A adjacent to thespecially formed section A, is raised upwardly at its lower end to theposition shown by the dotted lines in- Fig. 1, and is then swungoutwardly. This motion is permitted by the cranks 40 on the shafts 39.The upward movement of the sections is such as to permit their readyseparation.

The sections are preferably provided near their upper ends with blocks14: in which are pivotedrods 415 having at their free ends theright-angled extensions 46. When the sections A are raised to verticalposition, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1, the rods 4-5 areadapted to be moved to horizontal position with the extension 46received in one of the openings 25, whereby the upright section A isheld in such position. The sections may be thus raised to verticalposition entirely around the silo.

A screen or the like 47 may be mounted just inside the roof sectionsafter they are thus raised, and the silo may be filled with ensilagewhich may extend considerably above the top of such silo and will beheld by the screen or the like 17 It will be 1inderstood that the cap 41must be removed before the silo sections are raised.

After the ensilage has settled, the screen 47 is removed, the rods areunhooked, and the roof sections are lowered to their assembledpositions. The cap is then placed in position and locked by any suitablemeans.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the construction andarrangement of the parts of my improved silo roof,

without departing from its essential features and purposes, and it is myintent to cover by this application any such changes which may beincluded within the scope of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a circular structure with a conical roof therefor,comprised of substantially triangular sections arranged in successionaround the structure, the alternate roof sections being arranged tooverlap at their side edges the sections on each side thereof, said roofsections being extended beyond the circular structure at their lowerends and being pivoted on crank arms, whereby the sections may beswungupwardly and outwardly from the circular structure so that thelower outer ends of the sections do not interfere with each other whenthe sections are raised to substantially vertical position for fillingthe circular structure from the top.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a circularsilo wall with a plurality of hanger brackets each comprising ahorizontal portion adapted to rest on the top of the silo wall, bearingmembers, downwardly extending members adapted to engage the silo wall onthe inside and outside thereof, and a hoop encircling said silo wall andengaging the downwardly extending bracket member for supporting the silowall and holding the bracket member in position thereon, the downwardlyextending portions of said brackets being provided with inwardlyextending members adapted toreceive and support rafters.

Des Moines, Iowa, February 16, 1915.

CHARLES J. PERKINS.

Witnesses A. SHERMAN, J. MAHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

